Fernando Alonso insists that he is still in control of his own destiny, despite Sebastian Vettel’s expected move to Ferrari and Daniil Kvyat’s transfer to Red Bull.

The driver market had been waiting for a move from Alonso, but his serious options now appear to be limited to McLaren, with Red Bull now full and both Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton insisting that their partnership will continue.

“Today was a surprise for me, Vettel leaving Red Bull,” he said on Saturday. “Everyone was waiting for some kind of announcement on my side, and the first one to move chairs was Sebastian. On my side as I’ve said my priority is to help Ferrari, we are in the middle of a weekend first of all, and secondly my future – let’s say I’ve had my mind set already for two or three months, everything is moving in the right direction, but I’m still not 100% decided what to do.

“I have that privilege that I’m probably the decision maker in some of the aspects. I gained this respect in the last couple of years, and I can go more or less wherever I want to go, in the time I want to go. And that I will use in the best way.”

Alonso said that the Red Bull door closing was not an issue.

“Red Bull was never a priority, so it’s not a big worry at the moment. I know what I want to do, and I will tell you soon.

Asked if he could still be Vettel’s team mate at Ferrari he said: “Anything’s a possibility. I don’t know if he’s going to Ferrari, I know he’s leaving Red Bull. Let’s see. At the moment the first priority for me is ti help the team in this race, my future and the future of Sebastian is not a priority.

If there is anyway he can stay at Ferrari, he should. McLaren-Honda will be way behind the curve and may never catch-up. Honda was doing a poor job when they left, including on their engine, and there is no reason to believe they will be able to instantly overcome Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari’s know-how. McLaren is not the place for Alonso to return; he needs to stay away. Perhaps he can oust Kyvat and move to Red Bull after-all, but Ferrari is where he belongs, with or without Vettel.